


Second Place

by JanFics



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 22:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12309576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JanFics/pseuds/JanFics
Summary: It seems to Lance like he's always chasing Keith about, always following but never leading: always in second place.But now's his time, and as he rises to the occasion, he realises that leading in first place is a perilous position.All he has to do now is keep it all together. Simple, right?





	Second Place

"You're coming up on the junction now, Lance," Allura said down the comm line. "Remember: you'll need to pull up early to counteract your downward momentum."

"Yes, Princess," he muttered impatiently. "I know."

Along with Hunk and Pidge, he was infiltrating a Galra cargo transport in the hopes of finding Keith again, whose own line had gone dead well over hour ago. It had originally been a stealth mission to recover crucial information on Shiro's whereabouts - if the Galra even had any idea where he was themselves, that is - and Keith had insisted he was able to do it alone.

"Even two is a crowd, Princess," he'd argued, and that had been the end of the discussion.

_We can't lose anyone else. I can't lose Keith._

He pulled up out of his freefall, powered up his boosters and swiftly, if messily, landed.

Pidge's voice came through. "Me and Hunk are nearly at the terminal."

"Good work," Coran said. "Lance, there should be a service hatch a little farther on on your left. That'll lead you straight into the cargo bay, and we'll soon be a whole team again."

As Lance walked on, the communications line remained silent, not daring to mention or maybe even to think about Shiro. Aside from the occasional thruster burst and the hum of the ship, all was quiet until Pidge spoke.

"Coran, are you receiving the data? We're transmitting."

"Yes, but nothing of note yet." There was a lot to process and every piece had to be decrypted. "We're heading further out in the orbit now so we'll only able to receive transmissions, not send. In ten minutes, we'll be back but until then, you're alone." Allura added hurriedly: "Good luck, paladins."

Finally, Lance thought.

He continued down the corridor and found the hatch, kneeling to fire the miniature wrist laser to open it.

"Guys?" The tone of Hunks voice made Lance slow in his work and stop.

"I think we have a problem. No!" There was a succession of what sounded like quick footsteps and then a dull thud as Hunk's line went dead.

Pidge screamed. "No! Shi--" Another thud and the only other line went down. He was alone.

All the more reason to get Keith.

He didn't have time to cut his way through completely, so kicked out the hatch once he had almost severed it from the wall.

He jumped down amidst huge stacks of cargo crates. The bay was dimly lit, the brightest lights emitted by the consoles by the foot of every stack.

Lance snuck to the edge of the nearest stack and looked down the aisle between: nothing.

He made his way down. "Keith?" he called. "Keith!" There was no reply, and no noise but from himself.

He carried on down, aisle by aisle, calling out.

Coran had said there were no prison areas aboard, especially since this was a low class freight ship.

He came to stop where two aisles crossed.

And then, the unmistakable sound of a step. Someone had stepped out of the shadows into the aisle behind him. He didn't look round.

"Lance," the voice hummed with malice, and now he didn't dare turn, struck by a dawning terror. A sigh. "I'm a prince. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Lotor," Lance growled as he turned.

"You shouldn't be so confrontational. Not when I'm about to share something with you."

"Yeah, well..." Lance hesitated. "It better be a white flag!"

Lotor laughed. "Better than that." He beckoned and a foot soldier, encased head to toe in the angular Galra armor, came up to stand beside him.

Lotor looked past Lance and smirked: "New prisoners?"

Lance whimpered at the voice that replied.

"Yes, your majesty."

"No." Lance said, low.

Lotor watched as a figure walked past him.

"No!" Tears grew in his eyes.

Shiro, dressed no differently to the very last time he'd seen him, stepped in line to stand beside Lotor.

"This is the end, Paladin," Lotor crooned. "But I'll help you understand it first.

"Your friend," - he raised his hand to Shiro - "never was that. From the moment I saw his fights in the arena, I knew he'd make a better warrior than a prisoner for us, so I gave him an arm."

Lance gritted his teeth. "He's not like you. He's _fought_ you."

The prince stepped forwards. "He is like me. Just like me and my people. He fought my father as I told him to. The same father who despises the half-breed I am and have chosen for my allies."

Lance didn't speak.

"The Galra can only rise when we stand together as _all_ Galra-kind, not just the pure blooded. And so," he nodded, "when I saw my people falling, I knew they needed my rule and not his."

Lance looked to the soldier and Lotor followed his gaze.

"Yes," he said, simply. "Him too, our newest recruit."

"What is it?"

"Ask."

"What are you?"

"I am GR1, elite combat drone hybrid," it answered in a mechanical monotone.

"Who-" Lance found he could barely breathe. "Who are you?"

"GR1, leader of Blade Squad and a Galra hybrid."

"Where's Keith?" he asked it.

Lotor smirked; the drone didn't respond.

"Where's Keith?" he shouted. "Where is the red paladin?"

The seconds that followed stretched. "Search complete. I am the Red Paladin. I am Keith."

With a buzz, one of Lotor's generals revealed herself over Lance, a dagger to his throat.

"All Galra, with your hybrid Paladin friends, will unite against Voltron," Lotor declared. "No drop of Galra blood or oil will remain unexploited any longer."

He remembered this: the room, parts of the mission and Lotor's speech, but also the escape... and Lotor hadn't been there then and Keith hadn't been captured at all.

Lance gasped and jumped. His eyes shot open.

It was a dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Only light Klance this time but with the possibility to "go somewhere" if there's interest.  
> 
> 
> But I've learnt my lesson before so I'll say it now: this might end up just being a one shot. 
> 
> Tumblr: JanFics


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